Transcript Early People of the Aegean

Early People of the Aegean
Chapter 4 Sect. 1
Minoan Civilization
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Named after King Minos of Crete
Height between 1750 and 1500 BC
Success based on trade, not conquest
Contact with Nile Valley, Middle East
Palace at Knossos
• Rulers lived here, banquet
halls, working areas
• Shrines- area dedicated to
honor of gods and
goddesses
• Walls covered with
frescoes- watercolor
paintings done on wet
plaster
• Tells us about importance
of sea, worshiped bull and
a mother goddess,
women appeared freely in
public
Frescoes
Disappearence
• 1400 BC- possible volcanic eruption,
earthquake followed by tidal wave
• Intruders as well. Mycenaens (mi suh nee
uhnz), first Greek speaking people of whom
we have a written record
Rulers of Mycenae
• Mycenaean civilization
dominated Aegean world
from 1400 to 1200 BC.
• Sea traders that reached
Egypt, Mesopotamia
• Passed on influences to
later Greeks
• Lived in separate citystates on mainland in thick
walled fortress from where
warrior king ruled
Trojan War 1250 BC
• May have had to do
with economic rivalry
between Mycenae
and Troy (present day
Turkey)
• Troy controlled vital
straits, narrow water
passages, connecting
Mediterranean and
Black seas
Legend
• Trojan Prince Paris
kidnapped Helen, beautiful
wife of Greek king,
Mycenaeans sailed to Troy
to rescue her
• 10 year battle that the
Greeks ended up seizing
Troy and burned the city to
the ground
Age of Homer
• Mycenaean civilization crumbled and
Dorians invaded from north
• 1100 to 800 BC Greek civilization took
step back by forgetting art of writing
and other skills
• Homer wrote of these times around
750 BC
• Blind poet who wondered to villages
singing of heroic deeds
• Iliad- Trojan War
• Odyssey- Struggles of Greek hero
returning home after fall of Troy
• Heroes display honor, courage, and
eloquence
How did trade contribute to the
development of Minoan and
Mycenaean civilizations?
• Through trade, Minoans and Mycenaeans
learned ideas and technology from Egypt and
Mesopotamia.
What impact did Mycenaean
civilization have on later Greeks?
• Mycenaeans passed on writing, legends, and
other cultural features to later Greeks
What values of the ancient Greeks
are found in the poems of Homer?
• Honor, courage, and eloquence
In addition to location near water, what other
geographic features or natural resources would
have been important to an early people who
made their living as sea traders?
• Resources needed to build boats, such as wood, as
well as rock-free harbors that can be reached safely
Do you think the epics of Homer are probably a
reliable source of information about the history
of the ancient Greeks? Why or why not?
• Yes and no. Homer’s epics are based partly on fact.
For example, the remains of Troy have been found.
However, his epics are filled with myths and legends.